Hiller's



Hiller's Department Store - also known simply as Hiller's - is a full service luxury department store located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is one of the seven anchor tenants of Hamilton Place Mall, a major regional shopping center. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of its parent firm, Hiller & Company.

The store's motto is, "Quality goods, quality service, sensible prices."

History
The store's parent firm - Hiller & Company - was founded on 24 May 2013 by several retail entrepreneurs and their investors, during a conference held at the Read House in downtown Chattanooga. The team of entrepreneurs consisted of a dozen colleagues who had previously worked for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, who had sought to pursue a dream of opening their own department store and offering merchandise both trendy and classic to the region's customers, of high quality and sensible prices. They chose the name "Hiller" to give the new firm, and its intended store, a unique and tasteful name. No particular reason or person inspired the name; it was simply a random choice made by the group.

Armed with a loan of 50 million dollars, on 6 August 2013, Hiller & Company bought out the J.C. Penney store at Hamilton Place and, with the approval of the mall's parent company, CBL, initiated a two-year large scale renovation and expansion of the store. This work was completed on 1 December 2015, and the store had its grand opening on 15 December 2015, with 38 retail departments and numerous additional features for customer convenience.

As of 1 January 2018, the store has risen to become the single largest source of revenue in the entire mall, having reported an annual after-tax income for FY 2017 of 325 million dollars.

Layout
Hiller's is the single largest of the anchor tenants at Hamilton Place, encompassing a structure four stories tall with a total sales floor area of 205,000 square feet. It consists of 38 retail departments. Also on the ground floor are a pharmacy counter, a first aid station, a travel agent, a flower stall, a cafe, a hair and nail salon, a mail order counter, a patisserie, a gift wrapping counter, and a newsstand.

Ground Floor
The ground floor is the location of the following departments -


 * Arts & Crafts
 * Bedding
 * Books & Magazines - David Dancy, Supervisor
 * China & Glass - Emma Higgins, Supervisor
 * Cosmetics - Caprice Cox, Supervisor
 * Fabrics
 * Greeting Cards - Debra Pickard, Supervisor
 * Jewelry - Kim Jenkins, Supervisor
 * Music
 * Notions
 * Novelty - Lawrence IDK, Supervisor
 * Sales Discount
 * Silverware
 * Stationery - Tom Brown, Supervisor
 * Toiletries
 * Wine & Spirits

Also located on the ground floor are the following additional facilites -


 * First Aid Station
 * Flower Stall
 * Gaslight Cafe
 * Gift Wrapping Counter
 * Gold Ribbon Salon
 * Mail Order Counter
 * Patisserie
 * Pharmacy
 * Newsstand
 * Tours & Travel Center


 * Customer Services - Lesa Witt

In the back areas of the ground floor one also finds the store's support departments -


 * Delivering
 * Display
 * Maintenance & Packing
 * Receiving

First Floor
The first floor is the location of the following departments -


 * Dress Hire
 * Footwear - Sherita Eady, Supervisor
 * Hats
 * Ladieswear
 * Kidswear
 * Menswear
 * Perfumery - Sharon Largin, Supervisor
 * Wigs - Tabitha Slaton, Supervisor

Second Floor
The second floor is the location of the following departments -


 * Appliances
 * Bathroom Fittings
 * Camping Equipment - Tim Seale, Supervisor
 * Cleaning Supplies
 * Electronics
 * Furniture
 * Garden Furniture
 * Hardware
 * Kitchen
 * Office Equipment
 * Pets - Audrey Conaway, Supervisor
 * Soft Furnishings
 * Sports
 * Toys

Third Floor
The third floor is home to the various administrative and executive departments of the store -


 * Accounts
 * Administration
 * Auditing
 * Legal
 * Marketing
 * Personnel
 * Procurement

Rank Structure
Hiller's Department Store operates a simple and clear-cut rank structure among its employees. It is as follows, from most senior to least senior -


 * Managing Director
 * Manager
 * Supervisor
 * Assistant

Pay & Benefits
Hiller's maintains one of the most generous pay and benefits structures in the American retail industry, paying its newest and most junior associates more than many comparable and far older stores, such as Belk, Macy's, or Lord & Taylor.

The current pay and privilege structure of its employees is as follows -


 * Managing Director (Mgdr)
 * Head of the firm.
 * 20% staff discount on all merchandise.
 * Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
 * 401k retirement w/ company matching up to 6%.
 * Access to the executive dining room.
 * Access to the executive washroom.
 * Access to the executive drinks trolley.


 * Manager (Mgr)
 * Senior executives, one oversees each retail floor and executive department.
 * Starting pay @ $30.00/hr w/ annual rise of $0.50.
 * Requires a minimum of 15 years satisfactory service on the retail floor or in administrative capacities to qualify for candidacy to this position.
 * 20% staff discount on all merchandise.
 * Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
 * 401k retirement w/ company matching up to 6%.
 * Access to the executive dining room.
 * Access to the executive washroom.
 * Access to the executive drinks trolley.


 * Supervisor (Spvr)
 * Senior staff, heads of departments.
 * Receives 5% commission on all sales.
 * Starting pay @ $20.00/hr w/ annual rise of $0.50.
 * Requires a minimum of 5 years satisfactory service as an Asst to be considered for promotion to this position.
 * 20% staff discount on all merchandise.
 * Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
 * 401k retirement w/ company matching up to 6%.
 * Access to the executive dining room.
 * Access to the executive washroom.


 * Assistant (Asst)
 * Rank and file sales staff.
 * Receives 5% commission on all sales.
 * Starting pay @ $15.00/hr w/ annual rise of $0.50.
 * At ten years service, given job title of "Senior Assistant" and a $1.00 raise instead of a $0.50 raise.
 * 20% staff discount on all merchandise.
 * Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
 * 401k retirement w/ company matching up to 6%.

Hiller & Company
Hiller & Company is a national holding company with numerous subsidiaries -


 * First Class Tours & Travel, specializing in tour and travel packages for destinations worldwide.
 * Hiller's Department Store, a full service classic department store located at Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
 * National Drapery Corporation, specializing in production of fabrics for everything from home decor to clothing.